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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25183639">we'll face the end of time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/carminare/pseuds/carminare'>carminare</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji is a Mess, Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Blood and Violence, Gen, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:42:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25183639</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/carminare/pseuds/carminare</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the world is ending and Keiji has yet to forgive himself for a mistake he made.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>we'll face the end of time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fukurodani Week 2020<br/>Day 5: apocalypse au</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We need more food,” Keiji said as he went through what remained of their supplies. There were a few canned goods and four liters of water. Definitely not enough.</p><p>“It’s my turn,” Konoha said and grunted as he got up. Washio pushed him back down.</p><p>“You can barely walk. Going out there is a death sentence.”</p><p>“I’ll go,” Keiji said. He didn’t want to go. Every part of his body was screaming for him to find a place to hide and never come out again, but he was the one in the best shape.</p><p>“I’ll go with you, then,” Bokuto said. Not a question.</p><p>“No you won’t,” Keiji told him. Not a question either. “I appreciate the concern, Bokuto-san, but <em>that</em> happened because you wanted to protect me yesterday.”</p><p>He pointed at an ugly cut on Bokuto’s forehead he had gotten the day before; it had left him dizzy and confused for a few hours. Keiji knew he needed rest before he could get out there again. Bokuto pouted in annoyance but didn’t complain.</p><p>“Well, you can't go by yourself,” Sarukui said, getting ready. “Also, I’m pretty sure you can drop the formalities already. Not just with Bokuto but with all of us.”</p><p>Keiji didn’t answer. He knew what Sarukui meant, he really did, but he needed to hold onto what little of their former life they had left. It made him feel normal to use Bokuto’s first name only when they were alone, whispering sweet words to each other. He was trying to maintain whatever was left of who he was before all of this happened.</p><p>They waited until Onaga and Komi came back with the report on the situation outside. Their last hiding spot had been discovered and they had had to make do with a laundry room they found on their rush to escape. It was big enough for all of them but didn’t offer too much cover. Keiji took mental note to keep an eye out for possible better hiding places. Five knocks alerted them of their teammates arrival. Washio moved away one of the washing machines and opened the door just enough for them to get in. Keiji quickly assessed if they had any new injuries.</p><p>“All clear,” Komi said, grabbing a water bottle and taking a sip. He passed it to Onaga. “There was one around the corner but Onaga bashed his head in, so, all good.”</p><p>Onaga looked a bit conflicted with Komi’s statement but didn’t say anything. He had grown up in the few months they’d been trying to survive. He didn’t seem as young anymore, not as shy and full of wonder as he had been. Keiji hated it. He had to force himself to push down his guilt every single time he saw Onaga, every single time they had to send him out there, every single time he had to kill someone. </p><p>They reviewed their surroundings before going out. There was a small store a few blocks away, according to what Onaga had said, but there was no certainty it would be abandoned and untouched. As a secondary plan, there was a supermarket about 15 minutes away from where they were, which was even less likely to remain available, but they had to try if the first plan failed. No one was happy with the decisions and normally they’d move in groups of at least three, but with Konoha and Bokuto down, they didn’t have much of a choice. </p><p>“Be careful,” Bokuto said. His tone was serious, almost threatening.</p><p>“Calm down,” Sarukui said. “I’m not gonna let your boyfriend die.”</p><p>“Don’t <em>you</em> go dying as well,” Komi said.</p><p>“<em>No one</em> is going to die,” Keiji said. He leaned down and kissed Bokuto. A small kiss, just a reassurance, a kiss that said <em>I’ll be back</em>. </p><p>They left silently. Keiji was carrying a wired bat and Sarukui a bat and a handgun he had found next to a cop’s corpse. Both of them carried large bags for the supplies. Outside, the world was quiet. There were cars abandoned everywhere and the smell of rotten flesh impregnated the air. Some animals roamed around, eating anything they could find. Bokuto had proposed the idea of getting a few dogs but they worried about feeding them, they could barely find enough food as it was.</p><p>When they got to the store, they found it silent and still. The windows were untouched which could be a good sign or a bad one. A good one in case no one had tried to get in; a bad one if someone was already inside. They knew there were other survivors out there —sometimes Keiji could hear them cry in pain or scream in fear during the many nights he stayed awake— but they hadn’t found anyone yet and if they did get to find someone, there was no guarantee they’d want to help them survive as well. Emergencies can bring out the best in people, yes, but also their worst. </p><p>They checked the perimeter first, making sure there was nothing in at least three blocks all around, so that they wouldn’t be surprised while inside the store. Once they deemed it safe, they tried the front door. It opened easily. Sarukui went first, gun raised and careful steps. Keiji followed silently, making sure not to turn his back to the door. The silence still unsettled Keiji; it made his skin crawl and his breathing shallow. It made him afraid.</p><p>“All clear,” Sarukui said, lowering his gun.</p><p>The store was abandoned —except for the body of the clerk lying behind the cash register in a big, red stain— and, while it was clear someone had been there before, a lot of the items inside remained. Keiji was thankful for the kindness of whoever came before them. He walked toward the beverage section: water was the priority. Keiji found only two liters, which was definitely not enough but better than nothing. Sarukui found some canned goods and fruit that hadn’t gotten spoiled yet. They went around the store grabbing as many things as they could without leaving the store completely empty. That was one of the reasons Keiji didn’t like doing this stuff with Konoha. He always thought they had to take all of it, who cared about the people coming after them? They always fought about it.</p><p>Keiji passed through the candy section, which he normally ignored and Bokuto tended to raid, and grabbed a few of Bokuto’s favorite chocolates as well as some of Onaga’s favorite lollipops. He knew it would never repay what he had done, he knew the guilt would still be there, but he did it anyway.</p><p>“You need to stop blaming yourself,” Sarukui said behind him. Keiji jumped a little at the sound of his voice. “No one blames you. Not even Onaga. You know he’s not like that.”</p><p>“It was still my fault,” Keiji said through his teeth.</p><p>“Then it was everyone’s fault! No one knew what was gonna happen. You couldn’t have predicted it.”</p><p>“I left him alone so that I could go and make out with my boyfriend. He had to watch Anahori die. He had to <em>kill</em> several first years. I should’ve been there!” Keiji’s voice was raising. He took a deep breath, held it in and then let it out. They couldn’t afford to be fighting.</p><p>“We all should’ve been there and we all have done terrible things. He would have had to do it eventually. Sooner or later.”</p><p>Sarukui was right and still— “I would’ve preferred later.”</p><p>Keiji still had nightmares about it. About Bokuto pulling him out of the gym; about Onaga smiling and telling him it was fine, telling him he’d finish cleaning up by himself; about Bokuto’s hands under his shirt and the scream that had made Keiji’s body cold and stiff; about the way his thighs and calves burned as he ran, ran, ran to where the scream had come from; about finding Onaga drenched in blood, pounding someone on the ground; about the fear and wrongness in his eyes. He hadn’t been able to touch Bokuto for weeks after that.</p><p>Sarukui sighed. “We all do. Come on, let’s go. We still need to check the storage room and see if there’s more water there.”</p><p>There was. So much water it almost made Keiji cry. They couldn’t carry it all, of course, so they grabbed as much as they could for now and left the rest for another day or for the next person who needed it, whichever came first. The walk back was uneventful as well but slower because of all the weight they were carrying. Keiji worried they would find the laundry room wrecked but when they knocked, Komi was there to open. </p><p>They unpacked everything and ran a quick inventory of what they had.  When they were done, Keiji grabbed the chocolates and gave them to Bokuto, who kissed him long and hard before opening one. Onaga was sitting on a corner arranging the medical kits and equipment. Keiji sat next to him and handed him the lollipops. Onaga laughed. It was bright and honest and the sound made Keiji smile.</p><p>“Thank you,” he said. “I’m not gonna kiss you, though.”</p><p>Keiji laughed, too, and ruffled his hair before going to sit next to Bokuto.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Bokuto asked softly. There was a bit of chocolate next to his mouth. Keiji cleaned it with his thumb and smiled.</p><p>“I am now.”</p><p>They stayed in the laundry room for a few more days. Until Bokuto’s cut had healed and Konoha was able to walk without help. Food and water were holding on but they’d soon have to go look for more. They decided then that they should move on. The phone lines were down and none of them had been able to check up on anyone, so they had been walking around  trying to find their parents, friends, neighbors, anyone. So far, they hadn’t had any luck. They didn’t even know where Yukie and Kaori were. None of the calls had been answered when they could still call and then the lines died completely. They were trying to stay hopeful.</p><p>Checking out the map, they noticed there was a municipal gym nearby and something like sadness moved inside of Keiji. When he looked at his friends, he saw what must have been a reflection of his own expression. </p><p>It was stupid, it really was, stupid and irresponsible and dangerous, they all knew it, and still, when they got out of the laundry room they started moving towards the gym. It was early morning and the sun shone bright and hot. To Keiji, it felt odd that they could have such beautiful days while the world ended but he was also thankful for the way the sun burned on his skin. Bokuto walked up front, leading; Keiji, Onaga, Komi and Konoha guarded the sides while Washio and Sarukui took care of the rear end. They walked slowly, trying to make as little sound as they could in case there was someone around. Their steps still sounded too loud to Keiji, who always got too anxious when they had to get out.</p><p>Bokuto stopped them suddenly and pointed. Up ahead, at the end of the street, Keiji could see four people who looked unsteady, swaying from side to side, and guessed there were probably more out of sight. None of them were looking in their direction but Keiji’s heartbeat increased anyway. Bokuto signaled for them to split into two groups and hide on the alleyways on either side of the street. Keiji, Bokuto, Onaga and Komi went left. Konoha, Washio and Sarukui went right. They moved slowly, so that they wouldn’t stand out, and Keiji thought they were going to make it, they were going to be able to hide and there wasn’t going to be any fighting. He should’ve known better than to hope. Just as Komi rounded the corner, Keiji heard a scream, exactly like the one he had heard back in high school when he was making out with Bokuto.</p><p>“Shit, shit, shit,” Komi said as he dropped his bag and readied himself for the confrontation. From the other side of the street Keiji could see Sarukui facepalming and then readying his gun. </p><p>The sick were fast, yes, but just as fast as any human could get, so, they could’ve ran. But the speed wasn’t the problem. The problem was that, unlike Keiji and company, the sick didn’t get tired, they didn’t care about the limitations of their bodies, they would keep running even if their thighs split apart and their feet bled. So, their only chance was to fight. They all had bats and knives, only Sarukui and Washio had guns, and Konoha had found a machete god knows where. There was also brute strength, which Keiji lacked and was only a last resort anyway.</p><p>Bokuto stood at the edge of the alleyway, listening to the sick coming. He listened and listened and listened and then gave the signal. Sarukui and Washio came out and started firing. They weren’t sharpshooters but they were the best of them at actually hitting stuff. Keiji begged for a lucky strike to the brain, just one, but slowing them down would also be enough. Bokuto charged first, as he often did, and the sound of his bat smashing a head made Keiji’s stomach turn but he charged all the same. </p><p>They didn’t have to kill them, breaking their legs was sufficient but with the adrenaline running and their bodies being filled with fear, killing seemed easier. Keiji stayed close to Onaga, fighting back to back. He counted ten sick people on their feet, three on the ground. They weren’t fighters but Keiji was thankful they were athletes, their bodies honed and used to exert themselves as far as they could go. There were two more on their side but Keiji heard Bokuto grunting. When he looked over he saw him fighting three by himself. Keiji knew he would lose.</p><p>“Go help him,” Onaga said following Keiji’s gaze.</p><p>“I’m not leaving you alone.” The words came rushed but truthful. <em>Not again</em>, he thought.</p><p>“I’ll be fine,” Onaga insisted but Keiji shook his head and stood his ground. He’d have to trust Bokuto to hold on a little longer.</p><p>Somewhere on the corner of his eye he saw Konoha break a sick man’s legs and Washio shoot him in the head two times, until it stopped moving. And then Bokuto was on his knees.</p><p>“Akaashi!” Onaga yelled at him, dropping the formalities. “You don’t need to protect me. Go!”</p><p>Keiji looked at him. Onaga smiled and turned around just in time to swing his bat at a sick woman’s stomach. He was so grown. Keiji still hated it but was also oddly proud. He rushed to were Bokuto fought to stand up. He killed the sick person who was closer to Bokuto and helped him up to his feet. He was okay and he smiled brightly at Keiji. Keiji knew it wasn’t the moment but he really wanted to kiss him. They stood back to back and killed the remaining two. </p><p>When it was all over and they were all sweaty and covered in blood and stuff Keiji didn’t want to think about, he turned around to find Onaga walking towards them. Seeing him intact helped Keiji breathe a little better. They inspected each other, just to be sure they were unharmed and then kept walking towards the gym. There was no one around anymore but they still moved slowly, checking every corner. </p><p>The gym was closed but not locked and Bokuto and Washio put their ears to the door to try and figure out if there was someone inside. When they heard nothing but silence, they opened the door as softly as they could and found the gym completely abandoned. The lockers and showers were silent as well and they all relaxed when they were able to barricade the doors with gym equipment. </p><p>“I need to shower,” said Konoha taking off his clothes as he walked towards the back of the gym. They all followed.</p><p>The water was cold but Keiji didn’t mind. They had found generic soap in the storage room as well as some generic shampoo and a couple of towels —they’d have to share them but they were used to that by that point—. When the rest of them started to file out one by one, Keiji remained under the stream. He knew he should save water but he missed the feeling of his fingers getting wrinkled and his teeth chattering. Bokuto stayed behind as well and hugged him because somehow he always knew what Keiji needed. Their skins together made him shiver but not from the cold anymore. Bokuto kissed him softly, tenderly, purposefully. And Keiji kissed him back. Their hands explored each other’s bodies again, just like they used to do what felt like a lifetime ago. They didn’t get many chances to spend time alone anymore but they always took the ones they did. </p><p>When they walked out of the showers, they found the net up and the rest of the team passing the ball around, as if they were waiting. Keiji saw Konoha and Sarukui give them a suggestive look but Bokuto, preoccupied with the idea of playing volleyball again, missed it completely. They stretched and warmed up and since they couldn’t play a three on three, they decided to play a three on four. Bokuto, Komi and Keiji on one team and Washio, Sarukui, Konoha and Onaga on the other. Bokuto thought it was unfair to have the all of the attackers on the same team <em>with</em> Konoha, who was a pretty okay setter, but Komi reassured him they’d be fine. Keiji didn’t mind, his hands were just aching for the ball.</p><p>They played for hours, their bodies stiff at first but, once they were all warmed up, their muscles remembered. It made Keiji happy, to have that one moment of calm and normality. It felt like they were back at Fukurodani’s gym, messing around after practice had finished. The sting in his arms and hands brought some realness to his body and Bokuto’s praises helped him forget they were nothing but teenagers whose future had been stolen by a disease. They lost the first set but Onaga moved sides and gave Keiji a small smile. Konoha called him a traitor but Onaga just laughed it off. They won the next set. </p><p>“Do you think we’re gonna find someone?” Onaga asked Keiji after a while of sitting on the floor with their backs to the wall.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Keiji answered, truthfully. “I hope so.”</p><p>“Me, too.” He was quiet for a couple of minutes before speaking again. “I know you feel responsible. For what happened back then. But it’s not your fault and I don’t blame you.”</p><p>Keiji looked at him and found that his face was honest. He rested his forehead on Onaga’s shoulder. “Thank you.”</p><p>Onaga patted his head one, two, three times before staying there quietly. Keiji felt small, vulnerable, but weren’t they all kids, anyway? Weren’t they all in the same boat? He sighed.</p><p>“Oy, Onaga! Are you trying to steal my boyfriend?” Bokuto asked, pretending to be mad. “If tha—”</p><p>A crash cut him off. There was some shuffling, the sound of some feet moving around. They all got up slowly and walked toward their weapons. Keiji heard sounds near the stands and when he looked up, he saw three sick people trying to run towards them. He could hear some more somewhere out of sight.</p><p>“Ah, fuck,” Sarukui said.</p><p><em>Fuck, indeed</em>, Keiji thought. The image of Onaga pounding someone’s head into the ground came back to his mind but was interrupted when Onaga tapped his arm and handed him his bat with a tight smile. He was probably trying to reassure him. Keiji smiled back. All seven of them stood in a circle, guarding each other’s backs, waiting for the attack.</p><p>“Ready?” Bokuto asked in his captain voice. They all answered in unison. It made Keiji feel calmer.</p><p>Keiji was still scared, the hair on his nape still stood and shivers still ran all over his body, but something told him they’d be fine, that they’d get out of it just as they had done so many times before. They were a team after all and no one was going to get left behind this time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! Kudos and comments are always welcome!<br/>You can find me on <a href="https://twitter.com/keijiis">twitter</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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